“Itchy. I understand what you were talking about now,” she replied.
Her safety was my first priority. I couldn’t bear it if anything were to happen to her because of me. “Have you been treated well?”
“We have taken good care of Miss Namath,” CS Rogers said.
“I am pleased. I wouldn’t wish for her to suffer unduly when there was no need for her to have been detained.” I reached into my coat and pulled out a letter from the earl. “Her cousin has exonerated Miss Namath and says he will not press charges given the circumstances.”
“I am afraid that isn’t his decision to make.” The CS leaned back in his chair, a smug smirk on his thin lips. He wasn’t usedto being questioned and his arrogance showed. “She pretended to be someone she was not in order to gain financial benefits. Impersonation is against the law,” he said.
I snorted my disgust and fought the fierce need to punch him. “If her cousin doesn’t press charges, the point is moot.”
“She committed a serious crime that might result in incarceration.” The CS smirk became more pronounced. The fact he was enjoying their misery rankled even more.
A scuffle sounded from outside the office. All heads turned to see the once calm, now clearly harried clerk open the door. Stark pushed him aside and entered, another man right behind him. Tall with a distinguished air, I recognized him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. More men crowded in the hallway behind him.
I shot a nervous glance at Ash whose lips were downturned, a rigid cast to his jaw.
“What is the meaning of this Stark, I—” CS Rogers asked before his face paled. He hopped to his feet, all traces of defiance gone. “Sir Melville.”
The face and name of the mysterious man came into focus. Surely he wasn’t here for Birdie? She might have misled the earl but to have Chief Constable Melville pay attention to her case was laying it on a bit thick. He did have a reputation for being a fair man, thus all wasn’t lost.
“CS Rogers,” Melville greeted with polite coolness.
“Allow me to introduce the right honorable Miss Bernice Namath,” Stark began the introductions. “His Grace, the Duke of Moreland, and Inspector Ashton.”
“Sir Melville, Stark, I hope you bear promising news.” Shoulders squared, I stood and tried to channel the ghost of my grandfather. He had had a way of commanding the room. My uncle also had the same knack but he did so with malice.
“I am afraid not.” Stark shook his head, the lines around his mouth tight.
His declaration sealed my destiny and I resigned myself to the inevitable. I had been born into privilege and by fate, I was thrown into the title. It would be difficult for me in many ways, but Birdie’s freedom was more important than my own happiness. It was time to become the Duke of Moreland and wield every bit of power I had to help Birdie.
Chapter Forty-Three
The Right Honorable Miss Bernice Namath
I tried to keep my leg from shaking. Having Moran and Ash with me helped, but from the increasing tension in the air, the extent of my troubles seemed amplified.
“I assure you, she didn’t kill her father, and I brought proof.” Moran pulled a document from his inner pocket and presented it to Stark before returning to his seat. The death certificate with my father’s name on it screamed out to me. The tears that had been threatening to fall returned, and I willed myself not to cry in front of these men.
Stark handed the document to Melville while casting a speculative glance at me. His eyes gave nothing away, which added to my nervousness. “I am afraid I am here for another reason,” he said.
“Surely you aren’t going to charge her with impersonation?” Ash glanced from me to Stark, outrage dotting his cheeks. He had been my champion from the first day he’d walked me home, and I loved him for his loyalty.
With a slight twist to his lips, Stark shook his head. “This isn’t only about Miss Namath. Brown has been arrested for murder.”
